Heelan Tompkins (NZL) and Mount Sugoi, winners of the FEI World Cup™ Eventing qualifier at Kihikihi

Heelan Tompkins (NZL) moved a step forward to her dream of going to the Olympics when she led throughout New Zealand’s FEI World Cup™ Eventing qualifier on home ground at Kihikihi, sponsored by Mitavite.

Tompkins, who was the best-placed New Zealand rider at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games on the veteran Glengarrick, now has a new horse, Mount Sugoi, with which she is one of eight listed riders for the Olympics this summer.

‘This is where I want to be at the Olympics,’ Tompkins joked as she stood on the podium at Kihikihi, but her task of selection has been made harder by the resurgence of former dual gold medallist Mark Todd (NZL), who has come out of retirement. Unlike Todd, Tompkins will continue her Olympic campaign from her Taranaki, New Zealand, home.

Tompkins led the class of 10 riders on a dressage score of 52.6 and, with the fastest cross-country time around the inventive course, designed by John Nicholson (brother of New Zealand team rider Andrew), retained her pole position with 2.8 time penalties to add.

This gave her the luxury of two show jumps in hand over her nearest rival, Anne-Marie Styles on Opera Groove. Both she and third-placed Jonathan Pagent, who was cross-country trailblazer on the inexperienced Clifton Promise, also jumped clear to retain their positions.

There were five clear cross-country rounds over Kihikihi’s imaginative course, which uses Winnie the Pooh as its central theme, with narrow house fences, and which had a new water complex added this year.

Last year’s winner, Otago student Clarke Johnstone on Oakley Vision, ran out at a narrow stump before the second water complex. This dropped him from third place after dressage to eventual seventh.

Matthew Grayling, a three-times winner of this event, will miss out on selection because his top horse Gordon is sidelined, but he was eighth after a cross-country fall on the youngster NRM Ru Star.

Full results on www.teawamutu.net/eventing

The next in the 2008 FEI World Cup™ Eventing series takes place at Chatsworth (GBR) on 10-11 May.